How Copper Is Produced

Copper is a highly versatile metal widely used in production all over the world. Despite being

one of the basic chemical elements, this reddish-brown metal is rarely found in its pure form.

Copper is usually combined with other chemicals like sulphur and carbon to form copper ores,

which are mined and refined for use. Read on to find out more about how copper is produced!

The process of extracting copper from copper ores varies according to the type of ore mined

and the desired purity of the final product. Copper ores are refined to remove unwanted

materials, such that the concentration of copper is increased. The extraction of copper from

sulphide ores (one of the most common ores present in nature) typically follows these steps:

Mining

Sulphide ores are extracted from mines via

drilling and blasting with explosives. The

overburden – the layer of material covering

the ore – is removed in order to extract the

ore deposit below.

Concentrating

After the copper ore is extracted, it is crushed and

ground into fine particles, which are then mixed

with water. Chemical reagents are added to the

slurry of ore and water, and this mixture is

transferred into tanks called flotation cells. Air is

injected into the tanks; as the mixture bubbles,

the copper particles float to the surface and cling

to the bubbles as they rise, thereby separating

copper from the rest of the mixture.

Smelting

The copper concentrate derived from the

flotation process still contains impurities that

must be removed by smelting. This process

involves blasting the concentrate using a

furnace, which allows iron and sulphur to be

removed as slag and sulphuric acid respectively.

The resulting molten material, known as blister

copper, will contain about 99% copper.

Refining

The blister copper is further refined by heating in

a furnace, where air is blown to oxidise the

impurities. Following this the product undergoes

electrolysis, forming copper cathodes that consist

of 99.95-99.99% pure copper.

Casting

The copper cathodes are then melted and

cast into various products, depending on the

type required. This may take the form of rods,

which are coiled to make copper wire; or

copper cakes, which are rectangular slabs

that are cut into sheets for foil.